Richard III

There may be few things as rewarding in film as surveying filmed versions of Shakespeare's plays. The process is mostly one of discovering that the experience is unsatisfying and sleuthing the cause. This leads to an examination of what the play really is and what has been added or subtracted.

I won't dwell on what is missing. Its rather obvious. This is rooted in real events that have been abstracted as history. Then it is translated again into the play, then again into the actor's excesses that constitute performances of the day. And finally into a compressed pantomime. That's a lot of layers to expect genius to survive all the filters.

What's been added is rather interesting. There's a dream in which all Richard's victims appear to haunt him. Here the magic of film is used to have them appear and disappear. It is a high point that no one could get away with today.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.